The Battlefield Tour (India) of New Delhi and Dehradun (23rd February to 2nd March 2011)

We five Sirmooree members with our wives left Kathmandu on 22^nd of February 2011 by tourist bus for Bhairahawa.  On the following morning we crossed the Sunauli border and met our guide on the Indian side of Sunauli border.   A 27 seater Minibus with a guide was waiting for us.   We then started our journey bypassing Gorakhpur city by entering Faizalabad Highway, which is now a four lanes highway.  After travelling almost 450 kilometers, we arrived at Lucknow city at 1750 hours.  Our aim to visit the Lucknow Residency did not materialise as we arrived very late in the afternoon.

On the morning of Thursday 24 February 2011 at 0600 hours, we left Lucknow city for Agra.  Our aim was to arrive Agra city as fast as possible, as the Taj Mahal would close on Fridays.  As we passed Kanpur city, it was again 450 kilometres to reach Agra.  

We arrived Agra at 1400 hours.   After having our lunch in the hotel, we went to see the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.   After having visited Taj Mahal we came back to our hotel.

On Friday 25th of February 2011 at 0830 we visited Agra Fort, and our journey to Delhi which was 200 kilometers away from Agra began at 1500 hours.   After arriving in New Delhi we had our lunch followed by visits to Mahatma Gandhi and Indira Gandhi memorials.  We also went sightseeing to Rastrapati Bhawan, Parliament House and New Delhi Gate.  We checked-in at the hotel Aur De Asia at 1830 hours.  The next day on Saturday 26th of February 2011 at 0830 hrs, we went to visit Akchhardham Temple.  We visited Hindu Rao House (now a Hospital) and Delhi Ridge.  Later, we also managed to find some time to do shopping at Chandani Chowk and Connaught Palace. 

On Sunday 27^th of February our journey to Dehra Dun began at 0800 hours.  After having travelled approximately 250 kilometers, we arrived Dehra Dun at 1500 hours.  Having checked-in at the hotel Great Value, we went to visit the Nalapani Hill.  The road was narrow but it was fully metal all the way up to the top of the hill.  At the top of the hill we found an iron bar with three wings on the top.  One of the wings was broken.  There is now newly constructed concrete monument, which is eight by eight feet marbled base with steel bar and ten steps to ride with three-sided pillar in the middle raised approximately twelve feet high.  On the top there are three Khukris placed facing up and outwards.

On Monday 28th February we went to the Six Eight Centre at the Gadi Kyant and met one of the senior officers.  We asked him to provide a guide to visit the area.  After a cup of tea, we along with our guide went to visit the Lal Gate.  It was at Gam Gadi area.  The gate was freshly painted, where we took some photographs.  In the gate, 2nd Gurkhas and Sirmoor were written by brass metal and the letters S and O were found to be missing from the banner.   After our visit to Dehradun, we went to Massoori, which was thirty kilometers uphill.  We managed to arrive Massoori at 1500 hrs.

On Monday 1st March, we returned to Dehradun Railway station at 1200 hours.  Our journey back to Gorakhpur from Dehradun started at 1530 hours on the Rapti Ganga Express.  After 18 hours of train journey in the air-conditioned two and three tiers bed we arrived Gorakhpur on 2^nd of March at 0900 hours.  We then immediately exchanged our transport for Sunauli Border and arrived there at 1400 hours.  On the way back we also visited the Gorakhnath temple.   After having arrived at Sunauli we went to visit Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, in the afternoon.

On Tuesday 3rd of March we boarded a bus and returned back to Kathmandu.

In summary, our journey back and forth was enjoyable.   The weather was mild and perfect for the duration of our tour.  Altogether we spent eight days touring India.  The Sirmoor Club Nepal subsidized NCRS four thousand per family for our tour. 

Captain Hombahadur Gurung